Circular knitting machine with wrap thread mechanism



June 1, 1948. H. H. HOLMES 2,442,411

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE WITH WRAP THREAfi MECHANISM Filed Oct. 6, 19452 Sheets-Sheet 1 June 1, 1948.

H. H. 'HOLME S CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE WITH WRAP THREAD MECHANISM 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 6, 1945 Patented June 1, 1948 CIRCULARKNITTING MACHINE WITH WRAP THREAD MECHANISM Henry Harold Holmes,Leicester, England, assignor to Wildt and Company Limited, Leicester,England, a British company Application October 6, 1945, Serial No.620,701 In Great Britain October 9, 1944 7 Claims. (01. 66135) Thisinvention relates to circular knitting machines with an embroidery head,by which is meant wrap thread mechanism of the type comprising one ormore operable thread guides which or each of which is adapted, whenactuated, to wrap a Wale thread from a, bobbin, pirn, spool or the likeround a needle or needles for the purpose of producing striping, and avariety of other design effects, by embroidery plating on the face ofknitted fabric.

For the purpose of producing clear stitches and consequently welldefined pattern or ornamental effects it is found desirable to measureoff the wale thread or threads for each cycle of operation of the wrapthread mechanism, and the present invention comprises an improvement theobject of which is to enable this desideratum to be achieved.

The invention is intended for application primarily to a circularknitting machine of the rotary needle cylinder type with a rotaryembroidery head arranged concentrically with respect to the cylindercomponent, and including a circular series of thread guides adapted tobe actuated so as to perform single needle or multi needle wrapping.

In order that the principle of the invention may be clearly understoodand readily carried into practical effect, a, particular illustrativeembodiment of the invention whereby the aforesaid object is attained ishereinafter disclosed as applied to a circular knitting machine of thedouble axially opposed needle cylinder type furnished with a verticalembroidery head, and with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein,

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of so much of the said machine asis necessary to illustrate the application thereto of one form ofembroidery thread measuring means, including an eccentrically mountedWale thread guide,

Figure 2 is a sectional plan view of the said means taken on the line11-11 of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 is a detail vertical sectional view showing in diagrammaticfashion the manner in which the eccentric thread guide functions tomeasure off the wale threads.

Like parts are designated by similar reference characters throughout thedrawings.

The circular knitting machine illustrated in Figure 1 is of the typecomprising a bottom or plain needle cylinder l, a superimposed top orrib needle cylinder 2, double-ended needles such as 3 for operation insaid cylinders, and sliders 4 in the cylinders for operating the needlesand transferring same from one cylinder to the other.

according to knitting requirements. The machine is furnished with avertical embroidery head of the general form shown and described in thespecification of United Kingdom Letters Patent No. 455,801to which thereader is referred for details. Broadly considered, this head comprisesan inner cylinder 5 which is mounted concentrically with respect to theneedle cylinders l and 2 and grooved to accommodate a circular series ofWrap thread guides such as 6 adapted to supply Wale threads to andco-operate with the needles in the production of embroidery stitches.The cylinder 5 surrounds a fixed sleeve 1 depending from the top plate 8of themachine. The head also includes a bobbin bracket or rack 9 whichis mounted on posts l0 fixed in a bracket l'l attached to a gear l2 bymeans of which latter the upper part of the head is driven from anappropriate part of the machine. The gear I2 is mounted to rotate on abearing l3 located within a hollow' central boss l4 formed on the upperside of the top plate 8. The gear l2 also carries a plate l5 fitted witha nest of tubes Hi to guide the threads from the bobbins I1 down to thethread guides 6. The said nest of tubes therefore rotates, together withthe bobbin bracketand within the fixed enclosing sleeve 1.

Referring to the drawings, there is provided between the top cylindercomponent 2 and a circular concentric thread guide l8 fixed adjacent tothe bobbin bracket 9, a perforated annular disc l9 which is mountedhorizontally in a carrier C attached to the boss l4 so that the saiddisc is disposed eccentrically to the embroidery head and the axiallyopposed needle cylinders. As shown in Figure 1, the carrier C consistsof a base plate 20 adjustably mounted on a plate 2| attached to theaforesaid boss l4, angularly spaced posts 22 fixed in the base plate 20and flanged rollers 23 on the said posts by which the eccentricallydisposed annular disc I9 is carried rotatably. The annular disc I9 isformed with a slot 24 (see more particularly Figure 2) for the receptionof one of the posts H! of the bobbin bracket 9 whereby the annular discis driven when the embroidery head is rotated. Where the bobbin bracket9 is supported by other posts l6 clearance holes 25 (Figure 2) areprovided in p the disc 19 to permit the eccentric motion. For adjustmentthe base plate 20 is conveniently mounted pivotally on the plate 2|which carries it, by means of a fulcrum screw 26 inserted intoextensions 20a and 2m of the base plate and the carrier platerespectively and is fixed in position, after adjustment, by means of alocking screw 21 inserted into another extension 2% of the base platethrough a slot 28 in an extension Zlb of the carrier plate, as shownmore clearly in Figure 2. There are as many perforations 29 as threadguides 6 in the annular discs I 9 and the threads i from the bobbins I!are threaded through the perforations, from which they pass down throughthe tubes I 6 to the thread guides. By virtue of the eccentricity of thedisc i9 and its disposition in relation to the knocking over location KO(Figure 2), when the disc is rotated the threads are successively bentor deflected from their normal path, as shown at the left-hand side ofFigure 3, until the extermity of the throw of the disc is reached, e. g.

at a point P 180 removed from the knocking over location KO, whereby therequisite amount of thread is drawn oil the bobbins, whereas 'in theregion of the knocking over location the threads straighten but runslacker, as depicted at the right-hand side of Figure '3, so as toprovide the surplus whereby the desideratum hereinbelore referred to isachieved.

The carrier plate 2! covers the teeth of the gear 12 and as willbeunderstoodfrom the foregoing description, all of the posts I [3 passthrough the eccentrically disposed disc IS.

The invention may also be applied to circular knitting machines of thesingle cylinder type.

The invention has the advantage that a sumcient measure of a thread orthreads is provided to enable a desired needle or needles to make anembroidery stitch, or stitches, in a stitch forming action duringembroidery plating, without the said needle or needles drawing threadoff the bobbin or bobbins or the like, with the result that the stitchor stitches will appear prominently on the face of the ground fabric.

What I claim then is:

1. In a circular knitting machine in combina tion, a rotary needlecylinder component, needles for operation in said component anembroidery head arranged concentrically with respect to said cylindercomponent, said head comprising means for supporting bobbins, and acircular series of embroidery thread guides adapted to wrap wale threadsfrom the bobbins round desided needles for the purpose of producingdesign efi'ects by embroidery plating, and a disc with a series ofthread guiding holes corresponding .innumberand arrangement with theembroidery thread guides, said disc being rotatably arrangedeccentrically in relation to the axis of the cylinder component andadapted to be driven to" gether with the latter and the embroidery headso that it will function by virtue ofits eccentric motion to measure offthread from the bobbins for embroidery plating suchwise as to enable thecorresponding needles to draw upon the threads so measured off in theformation of embroidery stitches.

2. A combination according to claim .1, where- -in the disc is soarranged in relation to the cylinder component that its maximummeasuring ofi action occurs at a location removed some degrees angularlyfrom the knitting location.

3. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, a rotary needlecylinder component,

needles for operation in said component an emroidery head arrangedconcentrically withre- .specttosaid cylinder component, said headcomprising m ans for supporting bobbins, and a circular series ofembroidery thread guides adapted to wrap wale threads from the bobbinsround desired needles for the purpose of producing design eiiects byembroidery plating, a disc with a series of thread guiding holescorresponding in number and arrangement with the embroidery threadguides, said disc being rotatably arranged eccentrically in relation tothe axis of the cylinder component and adapted to be driven togetherwith the latter and the embroidery head so that it will function byvirtue 'of its eccentric motion to measure oif wale enabling thesaid-disc to be adjusted to vary its throw according to requirements.

l. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, a vertical rotaryneedle cylinder component, needles for operation in said component, avertical "embroidery head arranged concentrically with respect to saidcylinder component said head comprising a rotary bracket for supportinga circularseries of bobbins, and a corresponding circular series ofembroidery thread guides adapted to wrap wale threads from said bobbinsround desired needles for the purpose of producing design effects byembroidery plating, a circular concentric thread guide fixed adjacent.to and adapted to revolve with the bobbin bracket, a horizontallydisposed disc with a series of thread guiding holes corresponding innumber and arrangement with the embroidery thread guides, and a carrierfor the said disc, said carrier being attached to the head of thecylinder component so that thedisc is located between the latter and theaforesaid circular concentric thread guide and the said disc beingrotatably arranged eccentrically in relation to the axis of the cylindercomponent and adapted to be driventogether with the embroidery head sothat it will function by virtue of its eccentric motion to measure oilwale threads from the bobbins for embroidery plating suchwise as toenable the corresponding needles to draw upon the threads so measured onin the formation of embroidery stitches.

5. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, a vertical rotaryneedle cylinder component, needles for operation in said component, avertical embroidery .head arranged concentrically with respect to saidcylinder component said head comprising a rotary bracket for supportinga circular series of bobbins, and a corresponding circular series ofembroidery thread guides adapted to wrap wale threads from said bobbinsround desired needles for the purpose of producing design effects byembroidery plating, a circular concentric thread guide fixed adjacent toand adapted to revolve with the bobbin bracket, a horizontally disposeddisc with a series of thread guidin holes corresponding in number andarrangement with the embroidery thread guides, and ;a carrier for thesaid disc, said carrier comprising 'a base plate adjustably mountedon afurther plate attached to the head of the cylindercomponent, angularlyspaced posts supported by said base plate, and flanged rollers on thesaid'posts by which the disc is carried rotatably, the disc beinglocatedbetween the cylinder component and the aforesaid circular concentricthread guide and being arranged eccentrically in relation to the axis ofthe cylinder component and adapted to be driven together with theembroidery head so thatit will function by virtue of its eccentricmotion to measure off wale threads from the bobbins suchwise as toenable the corresponding needles to draw upon the threads so measuredoff in the formation of embroidery stitches.

6. In a circular knitting machine, in combination, a rotary needlecylinder component, needles for operation in said component anembroidery head arranged concentrically with respect to said cylindercomponent, said head comprising a rotary bobbin bracket, posts forsupporting said bracket, and a circular series of embroidery threadguides adapted to wrap Wale threads from bobbins on the bracket rounddesired needles for the purpose of producing design effects byembroidery plating, and a disc which is arranged eccentrically inrelation to the axis of the cylinder component and formed with a slotfor reception of one of the supporting posts of the bobbin bracketwhereby said disc is driven when the embroidery head is rotated, saiddisc being formed with a series of thread guiding holes corresponding innumber and arrangement with 20 the embroidery thread guides so that itwill function by virtue of its eccentric motion to measure REFERENCESCITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,853,020 Page Apr. 5, 19322,065,469 Kent Dec. 22, 1936 2,110,? 67 Holmes et a1 Mar. 8, 19382,258,569 Holmes et a1 Oct. 7, 1941 2,387,253 Getaz Oct. 23, 1943

